Pneumatic automatically-acting danger-signal for railway-crossings.



No. 652,35I.

I Patented June 26 1900. c. s. DEAN. PNEUMATIC AUTOMATICALLY ACTINGDANGER SIGNAL FUR RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

(Application filed Nov. 4', 1899.)

UNITED Sinrrns PATEN CYRUS S. DEAN, OF FORT ERIE, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO CHARLES O. RANO, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

PNEUMATIC AUTOMATICALLY-ACTINGDANGER-SIGNAL FOR RAILWAY-CROSSINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,351, dated June 26,1900. Application filed November 4, 1899. Serial No. 735,799. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LOYRUS S. DEAN, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Fort Erie, county of Welland, Province of Ontario,Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPneumatic Automatically Acting Danger Signals for Railway-Crossings, ofwhich the following is a specification;

This invention relates to pneumatic automatically-acting danger-signalsfor railwaycrossings.

The object of the invention is the provision of improved pneumaticmechanisms for displaying a danger-signal at a railway-crossin g orother dangerous position on the approach of a train and for hiding thesignal when the train has passed, both operations being accomplished bythe movement of the train itself without assistance from any otheragency, thereby rendering the action entirely automatic and at all timesreliable.

The foregoing object is accomplished by the provision of an improvedair-compressor operated by the train when approaching the crossing,together with a signal and novel means actuated by the compressed airfor displaying the signal, and also an improved device adaptedto'restore the signal-operating mechanism to normal position as thetrain is passing out of the crossing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, with certainparts in section and represented by dotted lines, illustrating theapplication of the invention; Fig. 2, a detail view of the mechanism foroperating the air-compressor; Fig. 3, a detail view of the exhaust-valvefor the signal-operatin g mechanism, and Fig. 4 a detail view of thetrip or tappet on the locomotive-pilot.

The air-compressor cylinder 1 is fastened to and has an a suitablefoundation of beams 2 enlarged valve-chamber 3 inits upper part, whichis closed by a cover 4C,removably bolted on, having a boss 5,constitutinga guide for the stem 6 of a valve 7, which remains normallyseated on the upper end of the cylinder by its own weight. Asuitably-jou rnaled rock-' shaft 8 has a crank 9 securely connected toone end thereof, While on its inner end, adjacent the track-rail, twocollars 10 and 11 are secured, the former being provided with an ear 12.A lever 13, whose upper end eX- tends up beside the track-rail and abovethe same, has its lower end loosely journaled on the rock-shaft 8between the collars 10 and 11. This lever is provided with an ear 14,corresponding to ear 12 and adapted to positively engage said ear 12when the lever is rocked toward the crossing; but this lever being looseon the rock-shaft is free to swing idly in the opposite direction whenstruck by a train moving in the opposite direction. A spring 15 keepsthe lever normally in upright position and restores it to that positionafter it has been rocked idly. A piston 16 is located in the cylinder 1and, being connected to crank 9 by a link 17, is adapted to be forcedupwardly to compress the air when the lever is struck by a train passingtoward the crossing. A signal-post 18 is provided in a suitable positionbeside the track, and the signal-operating mechanism is preferablyconnected to the post. A hollow cylinder 19, fastened to the post by abracket 20, constitutes the stationary part of this mechanism. Anair-bell 21 telescopes Over the cylinder and is adapted to move up anddown thereon. A shaft 22, ex tending through the top of the post andjournaled therein, carries a semaphore 23 on. one end and a groovedpulley 24 on the other end. A chain 25, running over this pulley, hasalternate links received in pockets 26, provided in the pulley to insureits turning with the movement of the chain, and one end of the chain isconnected to bell 21 by a rod 27, while the other end is provided with acounterweight 28, which is slightly less in weight than the semaphore.My object in providing such a weight is to minimize the actual weight tobe lifted-the excess weight of the semaphore over the counterweightsothat only a slight air-pressure will be required to raise the semaphore.At the same time the semaphore is self-restoring, as its superior weightwill cause it to drop immediately upon the air being exhausted from thebell by the mechanism hereinafterdescribed. Thecounterweight 28 will bemade in sections, so that it can be increased or diminished according torequirements, for it may be found desirable in practice to have thetrack-walker add to the weight should the semaphore become loaded withsnow or sleet in bad weather. A pipe 29, extending from thevalve-chamber of the air-compressor to the space underneath theair-bell, supplies the necessary pressure to the latter when the leveris actuated by an approaching train.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 3 for a disclosure of themechanism for resetting the signal,30 represents an exhaustvalve havinghead 31 and grooved body 32, which extends through a seat 33 in the topof the cylinder 19. The stem 34 of the valve extends through a guide inthe bottom of said cylinder in position for engagement with a finger 35on the same rock-shaft with a lever 36, which extends above thetrack-rail in position to be tripped by the movement of the locomotive.A spring 37 restores this lever to normal upright position when rockedidly by a train moving toward the air-compressor and its lever; butordinarily the lever is restored by the gravitation of the air bell andvalve.

To insure against dropping of the semaphore before the train reaches thecrossing, I provide a catch 38, actuated by a spring 39, sliding throughthe side of the cylinder 19 in position to engage the lower edge of theairbell when it has been raised. The catch has a slot 40,through whichthe valve-stem passes, which is here provided with a cam 41, whichretracts the catch when the valve is raised,

thereby allowing the bell to drop simultaneously with the exhaustion ofthe air therein.

On thelocomotive-pilot there is a tappet 42, composed of rubber rings43, held by collars 44,- Fig. 4, said tappet being in proper position tostrike the levers 13 and 36. The force. of the blow is cushioned byemploying the rings 43, and in this connection I may state that the cars12 and 14 are also preferably faced with cushioning material for thesame purpose.

The operation is as follows: When the tappet on the locomotive-pilotstrikes the lever 13, the piston is moved and the air suddenlycompressed. The compressed air lifts the valve and flows through thepipe to the airbell 21, which is raised by the pressure and locked bythe catch 38, so that the semaphore is raised and displayed, as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 1. The semaphore remains in this position, warningpersons at the crossing that a train is approaching, until the trainreaches the lever 36 and depresses it. When this is done, theexhaust-valve 30 is raised, whereupon the air in the bell 21 exhausts.At the same time the cam 41 retracts the catch, allowing the air-belland semaphore to fall to their-normal positions. When the semaphore isdown, it is parallel with the signal-post, and consequently notdisplayed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal, of pneumaticmechanism for displaying the signal, an air pump or compressor forsupplying air to the pneumatic mechanism means for lockin g the signalwhen displayed, and means for unlocking it and exhausting the air fromthe pneumatic mechanism to restore the signal,

2. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal, of pneumaticmechanism for operating the signal, an air-compressor for supplying airto the pneumatic mechanism, a locking device for securing said pneumaticmechanism when the signal is displayed, a valve for exhausting the airfrom the pneumatic mechanism to restore the signal, and means forunseating the valve and unlocking the pneumatic mechanism.

3. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal, of an air-bellconnected thereto, an air-compressor for supplying air to the bell tooperate the signal, and means for exhausting the air from the bell torestore the signal.

4. In a signaling device, the combination with a normally-undisplayed,self-restoring signal, of an air-bell connected thereto, anair-compressor for supplying air to the bell to operate the signal, andmeans for exhausting the air from the bell to restore the signal.

5. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal, of an air-bellconnected thereto, means for supplying air to the bell to operate thesignal, a cylinder over which the bell telescopes, an exhaust-valve inthe cylinder to allow the air from the bell to exhaust therethrough, anda device for unseating the Valve.

6. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal, of an air-bellconnected thereto, means for supplying air to the bell to 0perate thesignal, a cylinder over which the bell telescopes, an exhaust-valve inthe cylinder to allow the air from the bell to exhaust therethrough, alocking device for securing the bell when raised, and means forunseating the valve and unlocking the bell.

7. In a signaling device, the combination with a signal, of an air-bellconnected thereto, means for supplying air to the bell to operate thesignal, a cylinder over which the bell telescopes, an exhaust-valve inthe cylinder to allow the air from the bell to exhaust therethrough,said valve having its stem provided with a cam, an automatic catch forlocking the bell when raised, which is retracted by the cam when thevalve is unseated, and means for unseating the valve to allow the bellto descend.

8. In a signaling device, the. combination with a signal, of an air-bellconnected thereto, means for supplying air to the bell to operate thesignal, a cylinder over which the bell telescopes, an exhaust-valve inthe cylinder to allow the air from the bell to exhaust therethrough,said valve having its stem provided with a cam, a spring-actuatedsliding catch adapted to engage and support the bell when nnseated whichis provided with a slot through which the cam passes when the valve isunseated,and means for unseating the valve to unlock the bell andexhaust the air therefrom.

9. In a signaling device for railway-crossings, the combination with asignal, of an airbell for operating said signal, a cylinder over whichthe bell telescopes, an air pump or compressor having operatingmechanism positioned for actuation by the train when approaching thecrossing, which supplies air to the bell, an exhaust-valve for theair-bell, an automatic locking device for securing the bell when raised,a stem on the valve which accomplishes the retraction of said lockingdevice, and a lever, positioned to be struck by the train, whichoperates the valve-stem.

10. In a signaling device, the combination with a pivotally-mounted,gravitating semaphore or signal, and a pulley for turning the same, of achain running over said pulley, a counterweight on one end of the chainwhich is of slightly less weight than the semaphore, and air-operatedmechanism connected to the other end of the chain, whereby saidsemaphore is rendered self-restoring by its own weight and requires butslight air-pressure to display it.

11. In a signaling device, the combination with a pivoted, gravitatingsemaphore 0r signal, and a pulley for turning the same, of a chainrunning over said pulley, a counterweight on one end of the chain whichis of slightly-less weight than the semaphore, an air-bell connected tothe other end of the chain, nieans for supplying air to the bell todisplay the signal, and an exhaust-valve for the bell to permit it tofall with the semaphore.

12. In a signaling device, the combination with an air-compressorcylinder, of a rockshaft, a crank secured thereto, a piston in thecylinder, a link connecting the piston to the crank, a lever journaledloosely on the rock-shaft and extending up beside the trackrail inposition for contact by the train, and ears on the shaft and lever,respectively, which are adapted to engage when the lever is rocked oneway and disengage when it is rocked in the opposite direction.

13. In a signaling device, the combination with an air-compressorcylinder having an enlarged valve-chamber provided with a cover or headhaving a guide, of a valve in said chamber which normally rests on andcloses the end of the cylinder, and has a stem re ceived in the guide,an outlet-pipe leading from the valve-chamber, arock-shaft,a cranksecured thereto, a piston in the cylinder, a link connecting the pistonto the crank, a lever journaled loosely on the rock-shaft and extendingup beside the track-rail in position for contact by the train, and earson the shaft and lever, respectively, which are adapted to engage whenthe lever is rocked one way and disengage when it is rocked in theopposite direction.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CYRUS S. DEAN,

WVitnesses:

O. REINHARDT, FRANK E. NEWTON.

